Habakkuk: He Who Embraces, He Who Clings

Habakkuk cries out to the Lord in the opening chapter of his book:

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save.”
— Habakkuk 1:2

His plea is raw and real. Like Habakkuk, I’ve found myself crying out in pain. Here’s my own version of that cry:

“God, I feel like crap. This freaking sucks. What the heck? This isn’t fair. Why does this person have this much of a hold on me? I thought I was done feeling sad. This is the deepest pain I’ve ever experienced. I just want to be okay. Why, God? I want You, and if this gets me closer to You, then okay.”

Have you ever cried so hard your stomach hurts, and you feel breathless because you’re so weak? That was me—writing those words in my journal before class, after crying through an earlier class.

A Holy Encounter

Then, as I sat waiting for my next class, the Lord whispered to my heart:

“I died for this. For this moment. This pain you feel was not meant for you. Give it to Me. This is your head hitting your heart. Surrender to Me. This is a holy encounter, don’t think anything else of it. My love for you is enough. My affirmation over you is enough. I’m singing over you, Baby. Do you hear it? That’s freedom calling your name. Run—this is your freedom song. Come home. Come to My heart. Do you see Me? This is the moment. Rise up in faith. Freedom is calling your name.”

Sometimes, it takes life’s deepest pains to remember where our hope lies. Sometimes, we need a hard slap from the world to remember that He is Lord of all.

The Lord’s Answer to Habakkuk

Let’s see what God said to Habakkuk in return:

“Look at the nations and watch—be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
— Habakkuk 1:5

Habakkuk’s prayer shifts—from distress to confidence in God’s character.

“Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing… I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”
— Habakkuk 1:12, 2:1

My Second Prayer

I’m probably more dramatic than Habakkuk, but here’s my second prayer to the Lord:

“May the voice of the devil flee from my mind. I let light in. I am adopted, predestined, and I walk in authority under the King of Kings. He calls me by name. Devil, run and hide. I have a purpose and a plan through Christ Jesus my Lord. Death to life—I choose life today. My King has won. He defeated death and the grave. I walk in victory. Victory is mine for the taking. Devil, step back. Glorious light is already shining. I walk in light.”

The Waiting

The Lord answers again:

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
— Habakkuk 2:2-3

Ah—the waiting.

I write to you from the middle—the place everyone seems to gloss over. We’re always either on the mountain or in the valley; no one talks about the hike in between.

To be honest, I’ve climbed this hill more times than I’d like to admit.

Here’s what my life looks like lately:

Something happens. I freak out. I run away. I run back to God. I hike up the hill. I spend time on the mountaintop. Then, somehow, I get thrown back into the valley—more confused than ever.

So, to be honest, I don’t really know what the waiting looks like. My waiting looks a lot like opening Habakkuk every morning and saying:

“Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”

Over and over and over again.

Faith in the Waiting

I’m not sure what I’m waiting for. But I can tell you this:

My God is faithful.

Right now, my faith isn’t even close to a mustard seed—but it’s faith. Every day, I drag myself to my Bible and force myself to read His words. It’s the only thing that keeps me going. And I know, because of His Word,

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

By God, it will be the best thing I’ve ever seen.

The waiting gives me hope. It renews my longing for Him—my need for Him.

I’ll never fully understand what He’s doing until I get to the pearly gates, but I trust Him anyway.

I trust Him.

I’m hiking up this mountain, barren and afraid. But He’s on His way to rescue me. This I know.

I don’t have to fear because He’s coming.

He’s a God of breakthrough, and I will wait for Him. I am expectant of Him.

I know He will move. I know He will carry me up the hill—just like He did on the cross.

Bloody and sweaty, we’ll make it there.

But right now, a beautiful surrender is taking place.

I have no control of the future. I don’t know what tomorrow holds.

I’m deeply surrendering to His lordship.

I may never know the full story, but it’s a good thing He is God and I am not.

---

Prayer

Lord, in the waiting and the uncertainty, help me to cling to You—just as Habakkuk did. Teach me to trust Your timing, lean into Your love, and walk by faith even when I can’t see the way. Thank You that Your promises are sure, and that Your grace is enough for every moment. Amen.

“Yet I will Rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.” – Habakkuk 3:19